Fifteen

FIFTEEN

Mia

"Okay. You win."

Already feeling exhilarated, those words caused me to perk up even more in my seat and beam at Brock. Surprisingly, I was as relaxed as ever and feeling great.

It was Saturday afternoon, and Brock was currently joining me for lunch before we got down to the task of assembling the crib.

I was thoroughly enjoying myself, doing my best to stick to the decision I made last night, not long after Brock left my place and went back home. I wasn't sure exactly what Brock's intentions were when it came to what was between us, but I knew I liked what was there now. I didn't need to get caught up in my thoughts about what ifs and how things could possibly be, only to lead myself to losing the friendship I had with him.

So, I was going to do my best to try to stop questioning it, to stop thinking about things I couldn't control, be myself, and go with the flow.

Today, that meant pulling out all the stops to impress Brock with a delicious lunch. We'd already settled on peanut butter sandwiches, so I had decided to spice things up and make some fresh, homemade sandwich bread.

While I thought that might be enough to do the trick, I wanted to take the sandwiches up a notch, so I added banana slices and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips to them.

It seemed, based on the words he'd just said, I'd succeeded in my goal.

"Can I take that to mean I've dazzled you?" I asked, recalling our conversation from last night.

One half of his mouth quirked up. "You absolutely accomplished that goal, Mia."

"I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Maybe we'll have to introduce Izzy to these," I suggested.

"Oh, I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why not? Don't tell me you're worried she might like my sandwiches better and want for the two of you to come here for lunch every time she visits," I teased him.

Brock tipped his chin up slightly and out to the side, clearly considering that being a real possibility. "On second thought, maybe that is a good idea."

Though I'd promised myself I was going to try to not read too much into anything he said, it was difficult not to. Was he reconsidering his stance, because he wanted to be able to spend more time here with me?

Feeling slightly giddy, I giggled and said, "I'd love to have the both of you over for lunch one day. Next time she comes for a visit, just let me know. I wonder, though, how she'll take the news of the baby. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to hide it from her again, considering how quickly my belly seems to be growing now."

"Izzy will be thrilled to know you're having a baby," Brock declared. "She already adores you and can't stop talking about you to anyone who will listen. So, you can rest assured she'll be excited about the news. She'll likely want to march right over here after the baby is born, so she can help take care of him or her."

"She's so sweet. Does she want a sibling?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sure she'd love nothing more, but unfortunately, that's not happening any time soon, considering my brother is a single dad," Brock answered.

It was a miracle my eyes didn't fall out of my head. "Are you serious? I had no idea."

He nodded. "Yep. He's been doing it on his own since very close to the beginning. Izzy hasn't really known anything different, so she's reasonably well adjusted."

"Wow," I marveled, feeling a sense of solidarity with a man I had yet to meet. I was curious about what led to Chris becoming a single parent, but I didn't think I was in the position to be able to ask that question just yet. "Well, I think your brother is doing an excellent job with her. She's such a great kid, and she's so well spoken, too."

"She definitely loves to talk," Brock noted through his laughter.

We spent the next few minutes finishing up the remainder of our lunches, and after we cleaned up the dishes, I led Brock up the stairs to the baby's room. He immediately got to work, but I didn't just walk away and leave him to do it on his own.

While Brock handled the brunt of the work, the project was certainly much easier to tackle with two people involved. Following his instruction, I held things up or in place whenever he needed me to, and the truth was that I was grateful he included me the way he did.

It would have been easy for him to merely take over and do it all on his own, as I was certain he was more than capable. He didn't do that, and I had to wonder if he knew that since this was my first baby, I wanted to be involved in every part of the journey, even if handling the entire build on my own would have been an utter disaster.

When it was finally finished, Brock said, "Okay, I think that's it. Did you have a specific spot where you wanted it?"

Lifting my hand, I pointed at the opposite wall and answered, "Over there."

Like it was nothing, Brock lifted the crib and moved it into place. "Good?"

I stared.

Seeing that crib there, it hit me.

Just like it had been happening for weeks now, things kept popping up that reminded me of what was coming, of how real all of this was, and that was exactly what was happening to me now.

"Mia?"

Brock's voice snapped me out of it. "Yeah?"

"Is everything okay? Do you want me to move the crib somewhere else?" he questioned me.

I lifted my gaze to his. "Everything is going to change."

"What?" His confusion was plain as day.

My eyes went back to the crib for a fleeting moment before I returned my attention to Brock. "My whole life is going to change in such a short time. There are parts of it that I feel prepared for, parts I'm terrified about experiencing, and something else entirely that makes me worry that all the things I like and enjoy and love will no longer exist until this baby is grown."

A look of understanding and sympathy came my way. "I'm not an expert on any of this, Mia, but I think that what you're feeling is normal. Maybe talking about it will help."

My head moved from side to side as wave after wave of uncertainty, fear, and anticipation moved through me. "I don't know what to say. I mean, I'm terrified of the newborn stage and all the sleepless nights. But I'm used to working with young children every day, so there's the part of me that feels slightly more prepared, or even excited, to experience the toddler and little kid phase. I'm worried about never being on time for events, functions, or work again, and I wonder if I'll ever get to watch When Harry Met Sally or Crazy, Stupid Love ever again."

"Wait. What?"

"What?"

Brock's eyes roamed over my face, his brows furrowed, as he searched for the answer to whatever was confusing him. Finally, he said, "Those are movies, aren't they?"

He was asking me that. As if… as if he didn't already know the answer. "Yes, Brock, they're movies. Are you telling me you've never seen them?"

"I've heard of them, but I have not seen them."

I gasped, jerking back in utter horror at his admission. "You're joking."

He tipped his head to the side, and I could have sworn I saw him fighting not to burst into a fit of laughter. I was convinced I saw his lips twitch. "I'm not. Can I ask what those movies have to do with the baby anyway?"

I realized he'd asked a question, but I was far too disturbed by the news he'd just shared. "How have you never seen either of those movies? They are the best movies of all time."

Brock raised a curious brow. "That's a pretty grand statement, don't you think?"

My eyes narrowed in response, and I might have allowed a slight growl to escape. I couldn't believe he was questioning the validity of my declaration. "It's an accurate statement. If you saw those movies, you'd understand."

Fearing things were about to get heated, Brock wisely held his hands up in surrender, but he couldn't manage to contain the small smile playing on his lips. "Fair enough. I'll reserve any judgment until I've managed to see both films. But I still don't understand what either one of them has to do with the baby."

I sighed. "They don't have anything specifically to do with the baby, but my guess is that once the baby is here, I'll either be way too tired or entirely too busy taking care of him or her to be able to sit down and enjoy watching my two favorite movies of all time."

Something changed in Brock's expression. It had gone from amused and entertained to sympathetic and understanding. "That's not going to happen," he said gently.

"What?"

"You're not going to be suddenly unable to watch a movie ever again," Brock clarified. "I suspect things will be a bit challenging the first few months, but it's not going to be eighteen years before you watch your favorite movies or do things you enjoy again. The baby is due by the end of August. Assuming he or she arrives on time and without complications, I'm willing to bet you'll be doing something for yourself, watching favorite movies or otherwise, within three to four months."

Now I was the one sending a raised brow in his direction. "I think that's highly optimistic."

"And I think it's accurate," he fired back playfully, using my own argument against me.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see who's right," I told him.

"You know there is a temporary solution to this portion of what you're dealing with, don't you?" Brock questioned me.

I had not a clue what he was talking about, so I shook my head. "No. What is the key to solving this dilemma?"

"You've got four months."

"What?"

"Mia, there's a little over four months left until your due date. You could spend that time doing things that you enjoy that'll likely have to take a back seat for a bit after the baby is here."

What was wrong with me? Why hadn't I thought of it like that?

Granted, I might not be able to do everything I enjoyed doing between now and then, especially with needing to make time to take care of things like the baby furniture, clothing, diapers, and more, but I could certainly squeeze in quite a bit of fun before the end of August if I tried.

"That's a great idea, Brock."

"I'm a smart man," he declared, puffing up his chest with pride. "And do you know what the best part is?"

I shook my head.

"If you don't have any plans for the rest of the day today, you could help me carry out my original plan to relax for the day and tick these movies off your list," he shared.

My belly dipped. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Unwilling to make an inaccurate assumption and look like a fool, I said, "I don't have anything else planned for today, but I'm not sure I understand what you're suggesting I do."

Shrugging, appearing to be indifferent to what I thought about his plan, he said, "I haven't watched your two favorite movies yet, and I intended to spend time relaxing today. I figure we can accomplish that for me while you get to watch those movies at least one more time before the baby arrives."

It was likely my forehead shrank from how high my eyebrows shot up. "You want to watch both movies today?"

"Sure."

"With me?"

"It's better than doing it alone," he reasoned. "Plus, we can take a break in between, if you'd like. I figure we can watch one, have some dinner, and watch the second one afterward."

If I had been confident in how he felt about me in the romantic sense, if I believed he felt even a shred of the attraction to me that I felt to him, I might have taken the few steps in his direction at a running pace, launched myself into his arms, and kissed him squarely on the mouth.

I could think of nothing that would be more enjoyable to do today than what he'd just suggested. Well, other than perhaps kissing him. That could be very fun.

"I'd love to do that," I bubbled, feeling an overwhelming sense of excitement and giddiness.

Brock grinned at me. "Which movie are we watching first?"

There wasn't a question in my mind about which I wanted to watch first. " Crazy, Stupid Love ."

Sweeping his hand out in front of him and toward the door, Brock urged, "Lead the way."

With a smile on my face and a pep in my step, I scurried out of the room ahead of him. And within minutes, we were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, watching one of my favorite movies. As much as I loved the movie, I couldn't stop myself from glancing over at Brock throughout.

Brock

Could a man and woman just be friends? Was I Harry Burns?

The credits had started rolling on When Harry Met Sally , and I felt a connection to a fictional character like I never had before. Or, well, maybe only in one very specific area, considering I wasn't entirely like Harry.

Mia felt like my Sally.

I was going to give it to her.

The same as I knew I'd wake up and brush my teeth tomorrow morning, I was that confident I was going to give Mia what she needed.

What happened last night solidified it for me.

I hadn't wanted to get short with her; I hadn't even realized it could happen. But when I learned that she'd gone over to ask Russ for help instead of coming to me, something came over me. It felt completely foreign, and it led to me losing control.

I needed to understand why, when I thought everything that had been happening over the last several months between us was an indication we'd developed a deeper friendship, Mia wasn't feeling the same.

But she was.

She just hadn't wanted to place expectations on anyone. And after hearing her explanation, after taking a step back and realizing the situation she was in, it wasn't difficult to understand where she was coming from. Her ex made it clear that she wouldn't be able to rely on people if she did put her faith in them, so it was easier not to expect anything.

Mia was scared, even if she seemed the opposite on the surface. So, I had to be sure I didn't screw this up. It was a painstakingly slow process, but I thought it was necessary to do it this way. Plus, if I was honest, I was loving just about every second of it.

We'd had a great day today. I liked spending time with her, helping her out and feeling needed. I liked feeling useful. Most of all, I liked learning new things about this gorgeous woman.

Now, I was sitting here on her couch with her, the second of her two favorite movies we'd watched today had just ended, and I glanced over in her direction.

My heart squeezed at what I saw. Mia had fallen asleep. It had to have happened within the final twenty minutes of the movie, because I'd looked over at her then, and her eyes had met mine before she smiled at me.

To know that she wasn't on edge, that she was comfortable enough with me to let her guard down to the point she could fall asleep with me here, felt good. It reinforced that I was doing the right thing by taking this slow.

And as I watched her sleeping, all I could think was how much I wanted this. All of this. Just like Harry had said, I wanted the rest of my life to start as soon as possible, because I'd found the person I wanted to spend my life with.

I'd had months of getting to know her and spending time with her. There wasn't anything about her I didn't like or want in my life on a day-to-day basis. All that came with her—even her baby.

My eyes drifted down her body and over her sleeping form. God, she was beautiful. I could have stayed right where I was all night long and watched her while she slept. But since Mia and I were technically still just friends, I didn't think that was the wisest idea.

So, I gave myself another ten minutes to just sit there with her and imagine what my life would be like, what our life could be like, if things went the way I hoped they'd eventually go.

When I hadn't gotten quite enough, but knew I wouldn't leave if I stayed any longer, I turned off the television, stood, and lifted Mia in my arms. Whether it was divine intervention or that she was truly that exhausted, Mia didn't wake.

I climbed the stairs and walked to her bedroom. Instinctively, my eyes moved through the space. This was where she slept every night.

Not wanting to get caught up in another ten or twenty minutes of fantasizing as I held this woman in my arms, I crossed the room toward the bed and gently placed Mia down in it. After making sure she was covered and settled, I left her room, descended the stairs, and grabbed the keys to her house. I found a piece of paper and a pen and wrote Mia a note letting her know I locked up and took her keys to do it, so she'd know where to find them tomorrow.

Then I turned off the lights, walked out, and locked up.

And as I made my way back to my place, I wondered if the time would come when I'd be able to spend the night with Mia instead of having to walk away.